Tag: Restaurants

10/30/17 3:30pm

Original Fadi’s Mediterranean Grill Locked Out After 20 Years on Westheimer

Leasing, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Woodlake

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A 2-page letter posted to the front door of the Fadi’s Mediterranean Grill in the Westside Plaza shopping center at 8383 Westheimer on Friday explains that the landlord has terminated the lease on the property and is demanding the tenant pay close to $71,000 in back rent. Fadi Dimassi opened the first Fadi’s at this location in 1996; with this closing Fadi’s is now down to 8 locations, including 3 franchised spots in Dallas.

According to the letter, the lease term officially expired at the end of January. Since that time, Texadelphia has moved into the spot next door, replacing the Potbelly Sandwich shop shown in the photo above.

A Swamplot tipster notes the restaurant was open for business on Saturday but locked out on Sunday, with all tables, chairs, and restaurant property still inside. In an interview with the Houston Press in 2015, Dimassi noted that the $18,000-a-month rent his company was paying for the Dunvale location had spurred his interest in purchasing real estate for subsequent locations.

Photo:Â Miguel Paez

Done with Dunvale

77063, Leasing, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Woodlake

10/26/17 10:30am

Occasional Hazards of a Feeder Road Strip Center

Hazards, Quicklink, Restaurants, Richmond, Strip Centers

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OCCASIONAL HAZARDS OF A FEEDER ROAD STRIP CENTER The Shogun Japanese Grill and Sushi Bar in a strip center fronting the northbound feeder of the Grand Parkway in Richmond opened its storefront involuntarily this morning to accept an oncoming 18-wheeler. The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s office has sent out the photo shown hereÂ of the restaurant at 7417 W. Grand Parkway South, showing the truck swallowed completely by the restaurant. The adjacent Gossip nail salon was also damaged after the truck broke through the interior wall separating the 2 businesses. According to the Sheriff’s office, the truck was carrying hazmat gasses; the words “nitrogen refrigerated liquid” are visible on the back of the trailer in the photo. The driver is in critical condition, and 3 people who were in the building suffered “minor injuries,” according to the report. The building has been evacuated. Update, 11:45 am:Â More from the Sheriff’s office: “The driver of the 18-wheeler has passed. We believe the crash was caused by a medical issue he was experiencing.” [FBCSO] Photo: Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office.

77407, Feeder Roads, Hazards, Restaurants, Richmond, Strip Centers

10/25/17 12:30pm

When CafÃ© Ginger’s New West Gray Shopping Center Square Corner Tower Spot Will Take Over from Its Current Round One

North Montrose, Restaurants, Shopping Centers

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CafÃ© Ginger is already at work on its new outpost in its next West Gray St. shopping center corner, taking the places vacated by both Mama Fu’s and Verts Mediterranean Grill. The Chinese food and sushi restaurant arrived at its original and current spot at the eastern end of the northern half of the River Oaks Shopping Center 8 years ago, taking over from a restaurant whose addition to the center was marked by the tacking-on of a flying-saucer-like corner tower to the previously low-slung art deco center. At the new spot at 1574 West Gray, on the western end of River Oaks Plaza, the endcap corner tower is already in place — it was there when the center was constructed.

But inside, there’s more construction to do: As new signs on the doors announce, the new location is scheduled to open in March of next year. That’s the same month Weingarten Realty plans to hold the groundbreaking for the Driscoll tower — directly on top of CafÃ© Ginger’s current spot.

Construction date set for River Oaks Shopping Center residential tower [Houston Business Journal]
Previously on Swamplot:Â CafÃ© Ginger To Move Into Mama Fu’s Place Some Time Before the Highrising Starts

Photos: Margo (River Oaks Plaza); Katie Schon (River Oaks Shopping Center)

End Cap Tales

77019, North Montrose, Restaurants, Shopping Centers

Bars and Clubs

10/24/17 3:30pm

The Up-Scaled Bungalow Bar Now Puffing Up in Shady Acres Across from Cedar Creek

New Construction, Restaurants, Shady Acres

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This exterior rendering of Bungalow Heights, the new bar-restaurant going up at 1919 Beall St., the former site of Air Cool and the Junk Goes Green recycling center one block west of the Cedar Creek Bar & Grill on 20th St., shows a building with a lot of bungalow parts assembled in somewhat bungalow-ish fashion, being patronized by what appear to be normal-sized humans. But take a close look at the scale of the thing in proportion to the surrounding figures — and the actual framing now up on the site pictured above — and you’ll soon realize this is a building where every part is probably going to be a whole lot bigger than what it’s modeled after.

For starters, the structure itself measures 5,000 sq. ft. — about the size of the typical lot you might find a bungalow sitting on. This site itself is two-thirds of an acre.Â Contractor Avan Construction installed the building’s trusses last week with a crane. (The longest truss spans almost 70 ft. and weighs over 400 lbs.) Inside, you’ll find a floor plan significantly different from the typical living-dining-kitchen on one side, bedroom-bath-bedroom on the other arrangement of an unexpanded bungalow:

Bungalow Heights

77008, Bars and Clubs, Bungalows, Home Design, New Construction, Restaurants, Shady-Acres

10/18/17 1:00pm

A Quick Pan of the New Panera Bread Spot on Dairy Ashford

Memorial, Proposed Developments, Restaurants, Retail

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A sandwich update is in progress along Dairy Ashford directly opposite Fern Dr., across the street from Stratford High School and the Spring Branch ISD athletics complex. The Subway sandwich shop sandwiched between the shuttered locations of a printing company and a small used-car dealership has now beenÂ torn down after a brief Harvey reprieve. A reader sends in the above series of photos panning the combined and now-cleared 1.1-acre site at 851 Dairy Ashford, where a new 4,640–sq.-ft. Panera Bread building is scheduled to rise.

Photos: Swamplot inbox

Up from Subway

77079, Demolitions, Memorial, Proposed Developments, Restaurants, Retail

Downtown

10/16/17 3:30pm

Droubi Brothers Taken from the Streets Downtown

Openings and Closings, Restaurants

8 Comments

There’s a lockout notice posted to the front door of the ground-floor retail space of the 1100 Smith Garage Downtown on the corner of Dallas St. and Brazos St. Droubi Brothers Mediterranean Grill, at 507A Dallas St. — shown open in the older photo above — is nowÂ closed;Â the restaurant’s website has been taken down.

Here’s the notice:

Shawarma Gone

77002, Downtown, Openings and Closings, Restaurants

10/16/17 1:15pm

What’s Crossing the Plaza in Greenway Plaza

Greenway Plaza, Landscape, Renovations, Restaurants

Workers last week removed a few trees in the way of a new partition of Fountain Green, the plaza that stretches between Buildings 9 and 11 in Greenway Plaza just west of Edloe. Included in the scheme: A new separate lawn space on the green’s southern end, separated from the fountain by a covered walkway stretching between the 2 buildings; a separate canopy structure on the new lawn’s east side; and a new patio just behind that and in front of Building 9 — where a new restaurant designed by Austin architect Michael Hsu is planned. The aerial and ground-level views above shows the path being cleared for the walkway. Looking onto the green from the south across City Club Dr. is the former Houston City Club building, currently on its way toÂ being refurbished for its new life as a location of Lifetime Fitness.

Renderings of the space shown by Greenway Plaza owner Parkway in March of this year, before it was announced that the Houston REIT was being bought by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, show the general contours of the plan:

Fountain Green Green

77046, Greenway Plaza, Landscape, Proposed Developments, Renovations, Restaurants

10/11/17 1:30pm

Lower Westheimer Ruggles Grill Replacement Almost Ready for Its East Hampton Sandwich and Velvet Taco-ing

Lower Westheimer, Montrose, New Construction, Restaurants, Retail

A half-decade after the demolition of its on-site predecessors, the retail building replacing the former Ruggles Grill at 903 Westheimer Rd. just east of Montrose Blvd. is almost complete. Going inside the new 6,536-sq.-ft. structure across from Uchi: a couple of Dallas imports.

On the right, on the side closer to the Smoothie King drive-thru, will go the first out-of-Dallas location of the East Hampton Sandwich CompanyÂ chain. On the left, next to the side parking lot and the Womanâ€™s Homeâ€™s Cottage Shop, will be the second Houston location of Velvet Taco. Sandwiched between them is a 1,120-sq.-ft. space that appears to be still available, according to leasing documents — perhaps for a third wheat-wrapped-lunch spot of north Texas origin.

A 57-spot parking lot wraps around and in back of the building:

Dallas Comes to Montrose

77006, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, New Construction, Restaurants, Retail

09/25/17 2:30pm

Bungalow Full of Weird Ice Cream Flavors Now Open on Heights Blvd.

Houston Heights, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Retail

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Fans of the mozzarella with balsamic, black beans & agave with lime curd, or mango & dried chilies ice creams, or the cucumber with cherries or watermelon & parsley sorbets dreamed up by pastry chef Chris Leung and offered this summer by Cloud 10 Creamery in the Rice Village will be happy to learn that the adventurous ice cream shop opened its Heights outpost late last week. Cloud 10 fills the former bungalow at 711 Heights Blvd. — now upgraded to an address of 711A in honor of a separate building added behind it — anchoring one end of the boulevard-facing section of the Heights Mercantile development.

Cloud 10 Creamery No. 2

77007, Houston Heights, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Retail

09/15/17 4:45pm

Pollo Tropical Sunset

Franchises and Chain Stores, Openings and Closings, Quicklink, Restaurants

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POLLO TROPICAL SUNSET Citing “limited awareness” of the brand, the corporate parent of Pollo Tropical has decided not to reopen the last 2 remaining Houston-area locations of the Caribbean chicken fast-food chain after they were both damaged by floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey. Gone for good: the Pollo Tropical on Westheimer Rd. just west of Eldridge and the other at 11400 Broadway just east of Kirby Dr. in Pearland (pictured here). Three other Houston-area Pollo Tropicals closed in April. Fiesta Restaurant Group, which also owns the Taco Cabana chain, said in a release that it was also closing all 4 locations in San Antonio but might reopen as many as 2 of the shuttered restaurants in the region as Taco Cabanas. [BusinessWire; Houston Press] Photo: Fernando C.

Fast Food, Franchises and Chain Stores, Openings and Closings, Restaurants

09/13/17 1:30pm

Christian’s Tailgate Now Parked at AmazÃ³n Grill on Kirby Dr., Ready To Take Over

Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Upper Kirby

A new banner advertising a Christian’s Tailgate (pictured above) went up today on the vine-covered fence in front of the AmazÃ³n Grill at 5114 Kirby Dr., directly across from the Burger King between North Blvd. and Bissonnet St. The CordÃºa Restaurants fast-casual outlet shut down yesterday after 15 years in the same location. The restaurants’ parent company, which also operates AmÃ©ricas, Artista, and Churrascos, plans to continue AmazÃ³n Grill as a delivery-only business.

As of today, the space is being renovated — with plans for a quick turnover and reopening as a fifth location of Christian’s Tailgate Bar & Grill on October 1st.

Lower Upper Kirby

77098, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Upper Kirby

Cherryhurst

09/12/17 10:30am

What the Future Present Company Looks Like After the Royal Oak Fire

Fires, Hazards, Montrose, Renovations, Restaurants

Here, courtesy of a Swamplot reader, are a few exterior views of the building at 1318 Westheimer after its weekend fire. “The damage is pretty severe,” Shawn Bermudez wrote on Facebook Saturday evening. The owner of Royal Oak Bar & Grill, which shut down in this location last September, had been renovating the property in order to reopen it as a bar named Present Company. That work was a month from completion, Bermudez estimates. Among the additions to the former 1950s home: new steel doors and windows. And here’s a view showing the current state of the new piggyback patio added in back:

Bar and Grill

77006, Cherryhurst, Fires, Hazards, Montrose, Renovations, Restaurants

Disaster Aftermath

08/31/17 11:15am

Submerged Kingwood Whataburger, the Shortest-Lived Whataburger in Kingwood History

Flooding, Franchises and Chain Stores, Kingwood, Restaurants

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How’s this image for establishing flood cred? The photo above — of the submerged Whataburger at 4545 Kingwood Dr. in Kingwood — accompanied the fast-food chain’s announcement yesterday of plans to spend a million bucks helping its own employees recover from Hurricane Harvey and donate half a million to local food banks and $150K to the Red Cross. If the water-waisted burger joint located near the intersection of the appropriately named W. Lake Houston Pkwy. otherwise looks kinda shiny and new in the pic (you can see more of its flooding experience here, here, and here), it’s because it is. Whataburger Unit 1125 at this location opened for the first time on July 31.

Whataburger Pledges Nearly $2M for Harvey Recovery Efforts [Whataburger]

Photo: Whataburger

In and Out

77345, Disaster Aftermath, Fast Food, Flooding, Franchises and Chain Stores, Hurricane Harvey, Kingwood, Restaurants

Downtown

08/29/17 4:15pm

Flooding Wrecks Theodore Rex’s Planned August Opening